The Runic Prophecies Part 1: The Lost Runestone
by AuraWarrior
Summary: Eric and his friends must locate and acquire the lost runestone, the first step in preventing Ragnarok, the final battle of our world. ATM it's still a little rough, but think Percy Jackson with Norse gods; there will be some references.
1. I Am Attacked By Giant Death Wolves

Hello. My name is Eric Johnson. What I am about to tell you is a story, a fiction; none of it is true. At least, that's what I wish I could tell you. Six months ago, if you told me where I'd be today, I would have spent the rest of the day doubled over laughing. Six months ago, I was a normal, sixteen year old guy. Six months ago, my only problems were girls and getting my school work in on time. You know, normal male teenager stuff. I wouldn't have given a second thought to battling giant killer death wolves, meeting a god that could bring goats back to life, or traversing dangerous mountain slopes with a bunch of skiing ice giants. Hang on, hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

It was a wintery Thursday sometime in late November, and I was on a school trip to London Zoo with one Austen's Academy for Young Minds. It was being led by Doctor Carlton, the dullest teacher at Austen's. Lessons with him seemed to stretch out into the ages as he droned on and on about topics like 'electrostatic precipitation' and 'biochemical fan belts'. We were meant to be looking at the different animals and making sketches and notes, which should have been pretty cool, but Carlton managed to make it as boring as his lessons. The cold wind blew a chill through my entire body as we moved from exhibit to exhibit, listening to Dr Carlton make each new exiting creature sound as dull as a common garden field mouse or squirrel. My best friend Kaelyn walked beside me, leaving light footprints in the snow that covered the zoo's grounds. Hold it, that's best friend, not _girlfriend, _although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of her that way. She was pretty, with a slight frame and long blonde hair that streamed down to her hips. Faint freckles lightly dotted her cheeks and, in the harsh winter's light, her bright blue eyes shone like glittering sapphires. Fine, fine, I'd thought of her that way more than once! Anyway, when we got to the wolf exhibit, however, I perked up a bit; not even Carlton could make wolves dull. The zoo had a pack of six or seven of the magnificent beasts, and they prowled around their enclosure like a group of assassins in the shadows, quietly snarling to each other as if they were making some elaborate plan to leap out and savage a few visitors. After a few minutes, I heard an "All right, moving on!" from Carlton and the others began to start off to the next exhibit, but I hung back to watch for a little while longer. As I leaned against the fence, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a figure walking towards the gate that led into the the wolves' exhibit. He seemed to be dressed in some kind of armor, with a horned helmet, wicked looking shoulder pads, and a massive battle axe strapped to his back. I rubbed my eyes in surprise; surely that wasn't right. Indeed, when I looked again, the figure was wearing a standard zoo keeper uniform, but it seemed to flicker in the harsh light as if it wasn't altogether there. As I watched, he slid the key into the chain-link gate and clicked it open, moving through into the exhibit interior. The gate swung in the wind behind him, clanging against the mesh of the fence; had he forgotten to lock it? I decided to go and call him back. It would be a massive understatement to say I wasn't prepared for what greeted me as I looked into the open gate. Seven pairs of wild, bloodthirsty eyes looked up into mine, burning with primeval rage and hatred. The "zoo keeper" stood behind them, laughing like a maniac. I began to back away slowly, but the man spoke, still cackling like he was on day release from a mental hospital. "Eric Johnson, it's time to die! _Drepa_!"

The final word sounded harsh and foreign, but somehow I understood its meaning: _kill. _Before my eyes, the wolves began to grow. From the size of large dogs, to lions, to small cars, they kept on growing, larger and larger. After a few seconds, seven wolves the size of rhinos were snarling in front of me, their poweful muscles rippling under their shaggy black fur. I could smell rotten meat and sulphur on their breath as they bared their immense jaws, filled with teeth which were each as long as my forearm and as sharp as sword blades. Without warning, the largest beast lept toward me, jaws agape, but I quickly ducked and the creature sailed over my head, crashing into a nearby bench and reducing it to kindlewood. As it got up and began to shake bits of splintered wood out of its fur, the rest of the wolf pack began to advance, assuming wolf was still the right word for these .. things. I started to turn, but their piercing stares seemed to lock my legs in place, frozen in silent terror. In a matter of moments, I would be wolf food, and there was nothing I could do about it. Just as I had abandoned all hope, a voice rang out behind me. "Hey, dogbreaths! Want a real fight?" Turning, I saw a girl with blond hair dressed in another suit of battle armor, complete with winged helmet, a light wooden shield, and a wicked looking spear. Standing next to her was an old man dressed in a set of ancient, frayed looking robes and leaning on a gnarled wooden stave. The wolves turned their attention to these newcomers with anticipating slobbers; undoubtedly they were seeing a new main course with me being sidelined till dessert. They lept forward with howls of savagery, but the two figures were far more prepared than I had been. Almost lazily, the old man clicked his fingers and reduced one of the beasts to a pile of smoldering ashes. The girl met the charge of another wolf, knocking it to the ground with her shield and impaling its flank with her long spear. A barrage of thoughts began to run through my head. Who were these people? How did they know about these monsters? And more importantly, where could I learn that fire trick? The other beasts began to back off, whimpering like frightened puppies, but this time there would be no lucky escapes. One looked down to find a spear between its front legs, and the others were fried by a massive thunder strike that made the surrounding air crackle with extreme power. That was the last thing I remembered before passing out, face down in the ice-cold snow. It was going to be a long afternoon.


	2. I Learn About The End Of The World

After what seemed like an age, I came to, bleary eyed and very confused. I was laying down in a kind of bed, but instead of a blanket I noticed I was wrapped up in skins and furs. As I sat up, memories began to flood back into my head; the zoo keeper, the wolves, the warrior girl and the magical grandpa. Had all of that really happened? I rubbed my eyes and took in the surroundings. This "room" seemed to be a fairly large rectangular wooden cabin, the walls made from roughly hewn tree trunks. A small fire sat at the center of the room, filling the air with a rich barbeque smell and casting a flickering light that bathed everything in a warm orange glow. Next to the fire sat two people on more furs, talking in low voices to each other. I recognized them as the two who defeated the wolves at the zoo. As I began to get out of bed, they turned and looked at me, and the man spoke "Rest, my child. Those monsters really took the wind out of you; we weren't expecting an attack so soon. These are dark times, and you'll need to be strong for what's to come."

I didn't like the sound of that. Dark times? And what _was_ to come? Could it be worse than the wolves? I replied "Look, I'm not sure what happened yesterday, or why. But I think you two owe me an explanation. You don't get attacked by giant killer death wolves on every school trip!"

The girl laughed, tossing back her long blond hair. "We owe you an explanation? I think _you_ owe us a thank you, Eric Johnson. If we hadn't been there to intervene, you would have been dog food!"

I started to reply, but stopped myself short. I had heard both of those voices before. I studied their faces, but the soft light of the fire didn't reveal very much. I thought for a few seconds, and then it came to me. "Dr Carlton? And ... Kaelyn?"

"He figured it out, Brennan!" laughed Kaelyn, a smile playing across her face. "Indeed he has." replied Dr Carlton. Or was it Brennan? "Kaelyn, I think we'd better explain."

"Ok." Kaelyn turned to me and began to speak. "Basically, troll brain, that zoo keeper was actually a servant of Fenris. I guess you could say he was the ultimate giant killer death wolf, as you so nicely put it. Fenris, among other things, gives his followers power over wolves and the ability to unlock their true forms; he is the wolf god after all. We knew he had sent warriors on your trail, but we never thought they would be reckless enough to attack you in such a public place."

I sat there, stunned. Never mind the "troll brain" thing (I'd get her back for that later), Fenris? Gods? Warriors? Surely they were just stories and myths. I could recall something about Fenris from a history lesson a few days ago; wasn't he supposed to be a character from those old Norse legends? Yet Kaelyn had spoke of them as though they were real, tangible things, and those wolves yesterday sure looked like they had been real. As far as I knew she had never talked about anything like this before.

"Right, so you suddenly expect me to believe in gods and monsters? Why not faeries and vampires while we're at it?" I tried to laugh, but the image of piercing red wolf eyes staring into my soul was still etched heavily on my memory. Was I really considering this stuff as truth?

"Actually, there are vampires too, but that's something we can talk about later." she said a touch of amusement in her voice but seriousness in her eyes. "Brennan, now he's awake, shouldn't we take him to a safer holdout? We don't want another battle with Fenris's lackeys. It was hard enough to convince all of those mortals at the zoo that all they had seen was a guy walking a bunch of dogs."

"You've got a point." agreed Dr Carlton/Brennan, and he began to stand up, leaning on his old stave.

"Wait, wait, wait." I said. "Kaelyn, you've been my friend since I started this school. And Dr Carlton, Brennan, whatever your name is, you've taught there since I started too. Why are you suddenly coming out with all this now?"

"Because of the Runic Prophecies." muttered Dr Carlton darkly. "Long ago, the Norns, three powerful soothsayers, created a set of runestones, each inscribed with a different fragment of a prophecy. This specific prophecy detailed Ragnarök, the final battle of our time. This Ragnarök is an almighty clash between gods, monsters and heroes. It is foretold that the event will rebirth the world in fire and ice, and all will perish. Of course, we hoped these prophecies might help to stop this battle, but before Odin, leader of the gods, could study them for clues, the final runestone was stolen by a foul servant of Loki named Tyvuder. Loki wished to make havoc among the gods, and we were never able to locate the thief. However, one of the remaining runestones told us that one day, a warrior would find the lost part of the prophecy and use it to prevent the coming of Ragnarök. You, Eric, are that warrior. Me and Kaelyn here were sent to protect you from anyone who might want to see the world destroyed. My real name is Brennan. In old Norse, they would call me einherjar; a victor of many battles, serving the gods after my time as a mortal has passed. I'm sure Kaelyn will tell you her story later, but right now we don't have much time; Fenris's men will be after us again before midnight."

"Wow." I sat down on the bed. "This Ragnarök thing sounds pretty bad. But what power do I have to stop it? I'm just a normal 16 year old guy. Can't you just zap this Fenris and Loki with your magic lightning stick or something?"

Brennan answered with a hearty laugh. "No, Eric. Don't be foolish. You are far more than that. In time, and with training, you will see. Right now, we need to get you out of here, and fast. No more delays. Come, Kaelyn, set our course for Little Valhalla!"


	3. We Take A Ride On A Magic Sleigh

**AN: Chapter 3 is finally done xD Thinking about rewriting the whole thing in third person, but I'm not sure. Next up will either be that or Chapter 4.**

A light, snowy breeze blew across my face as I followed Brennan and Kaelyn out of the wooden hut. Looking around, I saw that we had been greeted by a winter wonderland. The crisp snow sunk under the treads of my trainers as I looked around, trying to get my bearings. Fir trees rose up on all sides like great green mountains, their peaks covered with a pale white dusting, and up ahead, just left of the path, stood another small wooden structure. I knew we were still in England; that much was clear from our conversation earlier, but I couldn't place it.

As we rounded the corner, I noticed that one side of the building had been opened out, and the floor was covered in fresh golden straw, untouched by the snow. In one corner stood a cluster of what appeared to be small horses, grazing contendedly on the straw. As soon as Brennan got within a few feet of them, their ears instantly pricked up and one by one they turned to face him. It was then that I noticed that they weren't horses at all, but reindeer, covered in thick, brown fur and sporting impressive heads of antlers. Brennan stroked one particulary shaggy one the head as he began to rummage through a large sack hug on the wall of the shelter.

"Wow!" I gasped. "Are these your reindeer?"

"To a fashion." replied Brennan with a chuckle. "I do not own them, but they lend me their aid when I am of need. Well, most of the time!" He pulled a set of harnesses out of the sack and gestured to me and Kaelyn to start tying them around the necks of the deer. I stood motionless for a second, eyeing their nasty looking antlers with trepidation, but Brennan roared "Don't worry, Eric! They are pretty easy-going creatures, deer. Much better than horses in my opinion, but don't let Odin catch me saying that! I don't want Slepnier bearing down on me any more than the next einherjar!"

"Sleep-er-what?" I said to Kaelyn, confused; all these strange names were starting to take effect on me. Why hadn't I payed more attention during history class?

"Slepnier. Eight-legged horse. Steed of Odin. Not important right now. We need to concentrate on getting you out of here and to Little Valhalla safely. Or at least while making sure you don't lose more than one limb in the process!" She laughed, tossing her curly blond hair back into the wind.

"Right, they should all be harnessed up now." said Brennan cheerfully. "Time to show you our ride!" He snapped his fingers, and a pile of sticks and logs that I had taken to be firewood stacked outside the deer stable began to rise into the air. Slowly it began to form itself into the shape of a sleigh; a somewhat rough construction but a sleigh nonetheless. "Just a little trick I learned from Welan, the Norse lord of craft. Impressive, no?" He laughed again as he began to tie the other ends of the ropes holding the deer to a set of iron hooks on the front of the sleigh. As he did so, the deer and the sleigh slowly began to hover above the ground, and I was pretty sure I knew what was coming next.

"Great. My first trip into a world of things that want to kill me, and I'm travelling there like Santa Claus." I complained as I jumped up into the sleigh and sat down.

Kaelyn did the same and retorted back "Hey, at least you weren't first brought into Little Valhalla by a slightly unhinged avalanche spirit. And yes, I've seen that happen before. Believe me, this is a much better option!" With that, Brennan flicked the reins and before I knew it we were being whisked off into the sky as smooth as a fighter jet taking off at a runway. Except without the, you know, seat-belts. As the sleigh sped through the air I clung onto the edge for dear (yes, yes, I know, pun not intended) life, but Kaelyn was obviously used to this method of travel. She lent forward and took in the pure, frosty air, inhaling deeply. We flew over houses, their rooftops coated with snow, wintery fields, farmer's footsteps dotting the blanket of white, and many other frozen landscapes. Even for the middle of winter, there seemed to be a lot of snow around. After what felt like a few hours, the farmlands and villages beneath us gave way to an expanse of blue, a mass of churning water. As we sped overhead, waves roiling beneath us, the sun slowly began to fade and I felt my eyes beginning to close; those wolves and all these revelations had really taken their toll. Despite the precarious nature of our transport, I quickly drifted to sleep, but unfortunately it wasn't of the restful kind.


End file.
